Tommy
The day of the races had come quicker than Lucille could have asked for. With the problem of Ada and Freddie and looking after Adds and Finn, she had barely gotten a chance to find a dress, and had instead settled with a cheap one from the only dress shop within half an hours walk. It wasn't dull, per se, but it wasn't rather pretty either.
"Take care of her." She knew polly would, but she could help but say it as she left her daughter by the front door, waving as the car finally pulled up. "Be good, Adds. We love you."
Tommy stepped out and hurried to give Adds a hug, lifting her in the air as she giggled. Then he turned to Lucille, his breath halting his eyes met hers. The feeling had been coming to him more often than it ever had before. It was the exact same as the first time he had seen her and it had felt like he had met an angel each and every time his dark eyes had been allowed to clash with hers.
Lucille's hair lay in waves around her shoulders, the golden highlights glistening despite the lack of sun on Watery Lane. Her navy blue dress sparkled too, like the glint of a far off ocean. Tommy decided that Lucille would always look out of place, too beautiful, too precious for anywhere he could think of, like a porcelain doll in a horse stable.
Perhaps that was his problem when it came to loving her. He held so much adoration for her and their child, that nothing would ever be worth of them, not even when Lucille was content with the smallest of things. It was exactly why he had continued with his messy business. His family would have the best and be the best.
He was staring, he knew that from the harsh blush that had spread across her cheeks to kiss her pointed nose. She smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. His hand aches to reach out and do it for her, as he always used to, but Polly was watching with a smirk and her hair already fell perfectly against her face.
"Is the dress alright, I wasn't sure?" She said finally, breaking him from his trance.
"It's alright, yes," he said, distracted by her strong and careful glances, until he shook his head, replacing his words. "I mean, no, you look beautiful."
"Thank you," she chuckled.
Tommy moved to open the car door for her, holding her hand gently as she sat down comfortably. He gave his aunt and daughter one last wave before he rounded the vehicle, sitting at the drivers seat and starting it up. He was silent at first, and Lucille could tell that she had made him flustered somehow, which made her blush even more.
"I'm so excited. I've never been to anything like the races before," she said, a hint of a laugh still remaining on her lips. "The closest was a harvest festival where they tried to race the sheep."
He turned to give her a quick surprised look. It was another thing he loved about her- the little stories that she seemed to have in multitude. He could listen to her for hours- he had listened to her for hours, in the loft, in France, as he struggled to sleep, the sounds of distant bombs and shovels echoing around his brain.
"Really. It was dreadful!" Lucille exclaimed, her eyes wide in remembrance. "They would try anything in the town after the war to be happy. Adds was only little but she loved it."
"Do you miss France?" He asked.
Tommy couldn't miss the hint of sadness behind the pretty smile that was pulled on to her lips. He often worried about whether she was happy here with him. There had to be things that she missed and wanted back. He himself couldn't imagine doing what she had done, packing everything up at home and leaving for another country. But that was now when he had nowhere to run to with Lucille at his side. There had been a time when he would have left Birmingham, he almost had all those weeks ago.
"I miss my house and the fields and Amélie," she said, thinking clearly about it before shaking her head. "But nothing else. I'd rather be here than anywhere."
Tommy nodded, but moved on seeing the look on her face. "You're going to love this, I can tell."
"I'm glad. It's nice to get away," Lucille said. "Don't get me wrong, I rather like small Heath. It's just suffocating, sometimes."
"I think you're the first person to ever say they like small Heath." Tommy laughed out, but Lucille shrugged truthfully.
"It's not that bad. Everyone knows each other. Most people are friendly."
"I'm glad."
It made Tommy want to laugh out and scream and grin, hearing her talk in such away about his home, as if it were her home too. Everyone loved her. She was like a mother to Finn, a sister to Ada and both a daughter and friend to Polly. He could imagine no one else being beside him at that moment. God, he loved her!
It took a while to reach Cheltenham races but to both of them it was worth the wait. The whole way Tommy's hands were slick with sweat against the steering wheel. It was a dangerous game, mixing business with pleasure- especially when the pleasure came in the form of the woman he loved. He opened the door of the car for her, letting her use his hand to slip from the seat and onto the ground. It took them seconds to reach the door.
"Where do we go?" Lucille asked.
Tommy's hand was in hers, his other on her waist, manoeuvring her around the hoards of people that filled the corridor that had lead from the back door. He said, "Through here."
"Are you sure?"
The soft look of curiosity that rested on her face was enough to make a small smile tug at his lips. He chuckled. "Of course."
"So what do we do?"
He was leading her to the main room. The noise of it had already creeped up on them quickly, encasing their ears with a light buzz that sent shivers down her spine. Lucille had heard nothing like it before. The noise had a melodic ring to it, like a song of hundreds of voices singing together in harmony.
But as he pushed through a tinted doorway, it was nothing as it had sounded. The bustling voices exploded into her ears as the barrier between them was broken. Even the lights had a sudden impact, the sparkling chandelier that hung above the packed dance floor glistening in her view.
"Act like you're more important than anyone here. It's what everyone else does." It took her a moment to realise what he had said, too busy staring at the glamorous view around them. "It's quite enjoyable."
She laughed. "I can imagine."
Pushing their way through to the centre of the room was easy when people moved away from you at sight. Tommy's eyes had already skimmed the room, taking note of each person he would need and where they stood. Kimber sat with his usual entourage by the side of the dance floor, his eyes trailing a number of young ladies with nothing but lust in his eyes. Grace sat by the bar, smoking a cigarette and the door to where he knew John would eventually be was just across the edge of the room. He had nothing to worry about.
"Is that Grace?"
Tommy nodded. "She's working with us. She came here with John."
Lucille perked up at the mention of John with Grace, making him laugh.
"Not in that way. Not at all," he said, before turning to her properly, shaking his head. "You know what?"
"Do you want to dance?" He asked.
Lucille was silent for a moment, and Tommy was almost worried that the presence of Grace had put her off. But then she smiled, a great, beaming grin that made even him smile back.
"I'd love nothing more," she said, and he moved to show them to the floor, but she stopped him. "But I want to be asked properly."
She was teasing him, her lips twisted and eyebrows raised expectantly. So Tommy vowed, making a show of it as he held out his hand in asking.
"Lady Lucille of the lavender fields of France, will you dance with me?"
Lucille took his hand and Tommy felt as her other one wrapped around his shoulders, looping her hand around his neck so her fingers could play softly with the short hair. The music was fast paced, made for twirling and dipping, but they stayed slow, gliding through until they were in the centre, dancing closely as if they were the only ones in the room. His heart was beating fast, he thought, when had he gotten so soft? But he knew the answer.
"What did I do to deserve you?" He frowned as he muttered the words into her ear.
As he spoke, Lucille's hands held tighter to him, as if he would realise she was too good and disappear from her at any second. Tommy replied silently with a comforting grip to her waist, saying wordlessly that he wasn't going anywhere. He wouldn't dare loose her again.
As their dance finished, Tommy pulled away slightly, leaving enough room so he could look at her as he spoke.
"I've got to talk to John and then see Kimber. Would you like to come with me?" He asked, his breath held. He wanted her to refuse the offer- he didn't want Kimber's sly eyes taking over her. But he wanted to give her the option, she was involved now, after all.
"No, I'll go get a drink and you can meet me back there," she said, as if sensing his worry.
"Good. I'll see you in a few."
With a peck on the cheek, Tommy watched her leave to sit at the bar where Grace had once stood. Only when a drink was placed in front of her, did he turn away, prying his eyes to search for Kimber as he walked on.
Quick note:
I'm struggling about where to end Lucille and Tommy's story so if you have any ideas I'd love to hear them. I have an ending currently planned but I'm scared it'll be disappointing and not 'big' enough.